Vegan Hot Cocoa Popcorn

I subscribe to a ton of cooking and food magazines. Every once in a while the kids flip through them, which often leads to requests (either to make something or to promise NOT to do so…)

The other night the boy was perusing the latest Everyday with Rachael Ray; since it’s the October issue it’s loaded with fun fall and Halloween ideas. While I don’t think either kid was too keen on butternut and parsley penne, both were clamoring over the page of homemade popcorn ideas.

Both chose the hot cocoa version, and I reworked the treat to make it organic, naturally sweetened and dairy-free to boot.

This was not only a special addition to our Friday family movie night, but easy and fun to make together with the kids. They had fun popping the corn and then adding in the various ingredients.

Place a large pot over medium heat. Pour in oil and drop in a couple of kernels of corn. Put a lid on, slightly off kilter to allow steam to escape. As soon as you hear those test kernels pop, dump in the rest of your kernels.

With the lid back slightly ajar, jiggle and shake the pot over the heat. This ensures every kernel will get popped and help you avoid scorching. The whole process should take about 3 minutes. Remove your pot from heat when the popping sound has slowed.

After popcorn has cooled for about 30 seconds, remove any unpopped kernels and sprinkle with salt. Dump popcorn into large bowl with cocoa powder mixture. Toss to coat the popcorn. Stir in mini marshmallows and chocolate chips before serving.